Curtain rod



Dec. 8, 1953 w. E. FOWLER EI'AL CURTAIN ROD Filed Feb. 25. 1950 IN VEN Tom W/lL/AM fowzze JAIME: A. Tx/onpsm/ Patentecl Dec. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES OFFICE.

CURTAIN ROD wiliiamriitfiowlereanfiJameszAi-flhmnpm; Rittshurgh, Pa.

Apglicationfebruaryfi, 1950', Serial'No; 145 1664 aciaims: 1

This invention-relates-to curtain rodsgand more-- particularly, to an adjustable curtain rod of -such construction that it may he quiclrly and easil y mounted in place ina window frarneorthelikenecessity of tools or supporting without the brac-keta While the rod is designed-primarily for hanging curtains-and drapes on window opemings, for example in the' space between a Venetian shade and the window pane to provide privacy, it is likewise suitable foruse-in sup m Itis known in theart to provide'curtain rods having a tubular portion and a screw threaded portion threa'dedly connected thereto whereby the partsmay be adjustably' ext'en'd'edto the desired distance between stilesor opposing Ver ticalwa-lls of a window frame. These rodshave end surfaces which are genera-li y 'inade large so as to providegreater frictional contact area with the opposing wall surfaces as therod portionis unscrewedfrom the internally threaded tubular portion. type of construction is-that despite the enlarge mentof the area of the'end surfaces, the curtain rod has a great" tendency to creep; either while 2 An outstanding disadvantage of'. thisit is' being mounted inplace; or as the result. of"

the hanging of heavy drapes or the" like thereon, therefore will not remain in agiveir position. A common type of adjustablerod: is: one empl'oying a compression spring therein and adaptedto -be frictionally held between the opposing wall surfaces of a window frame by the pressure'o-f the ends of the rod against such surfaces; A dis advantage of this type'of rod. is: that the compressionof the spring is generally insufficient.

for creating the necessary forceforsecurely supu; porting. the. rod on the. opposing surfacesparticularly when heavy loadsrarersuspended: by the; rod-furthermore, the,- compression: ofrtha spring.

willyary from. time: to; time and cannot be; rel-.

lied upon to: maintain; the. rod: in a :fixedisup... porting position at all times:

A still further disadvantage of: common types: of quickly mountable or dismountable curtain rods'is that while they are adjustable in 'length,

the degree of adjustment thereof is relatively small, therefore limiting the rod-to'usein a smallrange of widths of a window framing, etcz, thus requiring diiferent sized rods for different purj- DOSES;

An object of the present invention isztoaproi-i vide anadj-ustable curtain rod which. is devoid of theabove-nameddisadvantages of. conventional types of "rods;

A still further object of the present invention: is to provide an adjustable curtain rod which isrelativelysimple 'in' construction, inexpensive to manufacture, aand which may: be' quickly mount. ed 'in place'or removed byrhand. without the necessityor any tools- (Jr-supporting means what+ soever; also'which isquickly extensible in length, making it useful for a relatively wide range of. widths of wal lspacing, therefore making" the: rod adaptable for f a variety of purposes, such: as. indoor frames; window frames, closets, for; sup.- porting drapes, window curtains; shower-curtains; and thanks.

Othenobgiects and advantages of' the present invention willi'be apparent. from: a study of-the following -description taken with the accompany:- ingdrawings wherein z:

Fig; 1 is a plan view of: anadjustable. curtain. rodshown"partly =in longitudinal; cross-section andem-bodying the principles r of! the present in vention; 1

Fig. 2 is-a view similar to Fig. '1 but; showing: a modification of thfli curtain rod;

Fig. 3 is a top view showingthe curtain I'O'di of -2 mounted within a window frame;

4 is ap'lan view' of' the window framing; shown in* Fig; 3', showing: the supported. position. of the curtain rod therein;

Fig:- 5 -is alongitudinalrcrossssectional. view of a stillfurther modification of. the; curtain rod shown 'in Figs. 1 and-2y Fig; 6 is an enlarged side view. of'the split ring. shown in Fig. 5, and:

Fig; '7' is an end viewof the ring; shown in Fi'grfi.

Referring more particularly to Fig. Lnumeral I denotesamelongated' hollow; cylindricaltube ofanay suitable material; preferably ofaluminum or'other metal'g and having aninternaliy: threaded portion at the rightend portion thereofz asviewed iii-the figurer- A screw threaded rod 2 is in screw threaded engagement with "said internally threaded portion and hasintegrali-y securedto the other end thereofa knurledhead: 3; At the opposite end-of tube- 1 thereis slip fitted therein ashortpiece-of tubing integrally secured to a knurled nut 4 'toclose-thisfend of the tube. This short piece of tubing may begrooved oniitsouter surface to provide greater. frictional engagement withthe. interior. surfaceiofr tube The end surfaces of the knurled heads 3 and 4' are preferably sonically shaped, tapering to points 9. The cone surfaces form a relatively small acute angle with a vertical plane, namely, an angle of about 10, although it should be realized that this angle may be smaller or larger, such as within a range of about 3 to 25".

It will be readily apparent that when it is desired to mount the curtain rod between opposing vertical walls of a window frame or the like, knurled head 3 is turned by hand so as to unscrew the threaded rod 2 to the desired curtain rod length. As the result of such unscrewing, the end surfaces of the knurled heads 3 and 4 come into tight frictional contact with the opposing wall surfaces of a window frame or the like, points 9 partially penetrating the surfaces and anchoring the curtain rod thereto so as to prevent the possibility of creeping. Such anchoring means is particularly suitable for either wood or metal frames or in openings having plaster returns.

Fig. 2 shows a modification of the curtain rod wherein an elongated cylindrical tube 5 has telescoped (but without threaded engagement) in one end portion thereof a threaded rod portion i on the end of which is integrally formed a knurled head 8. The threaded rod portion 1 is in screw threaded engagement with an internally threaded knurled nut 8 adapted to abut against the end of tube 5. Thus, as the knurled nut i3 is rotated by hand, it will cause increase or reduction in the length of the curtain rod, depending upon the direction of rotation thereof. Thus in mounting nut 8 acts as a tightener to force the pointed end surfaces of nuts 9 into the supporting wall surfaces.

As shown in Fig. 3, the curtain rod illustrated in Fig. 2 may be supported between the opposing vertical surfaces or stiles of a window framing, coextensive with the outside sill, all shown in dash-and-dot lines. There is additionally shown a suction cup is having integrally formed thereon a hook l9 encircling and supporting the central portion of the tube. Thus by providing a vacuum fit between the suction cup and the top wall surface of the window frame, the curtain rod may have additional support centrally, particularly in the case of a very long span or for a rod which is to support a heavy load. Of course, the suction cup and hook 19' may be omitted in cases where the additional central support is unnecessary.

Fig. 5 shows a still further modification of the curtain rod and illustrates a type wherein the rod is readily extensible and adjustable over a wide range of lengths. The curtain rod comprises an elongated hollow, cylindrical main tube IE} which is externally threaded at one end and has screw threaded onto such end a knurled sleeve 1 I, which sleeve has a radially inwardly extending flange portion 12. Fitted within the sleeve H is a split ring 1; of thin spring metal or other suitable material adapted to encircle and provide clamping engagement with an extension tube It telescopically fitted within the main tube I. Split ring is has a slightly tapered surface 5 at one end and has a flange 2i and circular recess 22 at the other as shown more clearly in Fig. 6. A gap I6 separates the ends thereof to permit slight expansion or contraction of the ring as the tapered portion iii is longitudinally moved and slid inside the correspondingly tapered portion 23 at the inside end portion of the main tube iii. A plurality of longitudinally extending slots i! are also provided to form arcuate spring fingers 4 in the split ring. The extreme end of extension tube i4 is internally threaded at M and is screw threaded to the rod l8 which has integrally formed at the end thereof a, knurled nut. The other end He is expanded by swedging to provide a closer bearing fit and avoid rattling and the necessity of close tolerances or fit of tube I l in tube la. The knurled nuts at the ends of the curtain rod are preferably conical as described hereinabove to prevent creeping, although in I some cases flat surfaces would suffice.

In operation, sleeve H is first unscrewed sulficiently to allow split ring it to expand and disengage the extension tube M, thereby permitting tube hi to be freely pulled out of the telescopically fitting main tube Iii to adjust the curtain rod to any desired length, slightly short of the gap between the walls upon which the curtain rod is to be supported. After the curtain rod has been lengthened to the extent desired, knurled sleeve H is screwed onto the threaded portion of tube H3, thereby longitudinally moving split ring l3 therewith to the left as viewed in the figure so that its taper i5 will slide inside the correspondingly tapered end portion 2 5 of tube iii and thus cause the split ring 53 to contract or decrease in internal diameter, thereby causing the gap l6 thereof to be reduced. As a result thereof, split ring :3 tightly encircles and grasps an outer surface portion of extension tube i4, thereby restraining extension tube M from longitudinal sliding or other movement with respect to tube it. Then finally, in order to provide a Vernier adjustment and to tightly clamp the curtain rod to opposing wall surfaces of a window frame or the like, rod 18 is unscrewed by its knurled nut until the pointed knurled nuts at the ends of the curtain rod engage the supporting wall surfaces. Of course, when it is desired to remove the curtain rod, the knurled nut at the right end is screwed inwardly of extension tube It and knurled sleeve H is unscrewed so as to release the clamping engagement of split ring 13 with the extension tube M and thereby permit telescopic sliding of sleeve Hi into tube iii.

Thus it will be seen that we have provided a highly efficient adjustable curtain rod which is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and which is easily and quickly ad iustable to any length desired, also which may be positively held into tight frictional engagement with opposing wall surfaces of a window frame or door frame or the like without the possibility of creeping, and which has a wide variety of useful purposes, such as for hanging curtains or drapes, shower curtains, coat hangers, etc.- or adjustable crutches, tubular antennas or other uses wherein an extensible tubular member is required. Although the adjustable tubular rod is described as being of metal, it may be of plastic or other suitable material instead.

While we have illustrated and described oer tain specific embodiments of our invention, it will be understood that these are by way of illustration only, and that various changes and modifications may be made within the contemplation of our invention and within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A curtain rod of widely adjustable length comprising a main tube and an extension tube telescopically fitted within said main tube, a knurled nut and integral tubular portion slip fitted to one end of said main tube, the other end of said main tube being externally threaded, a

5 knurled sleeve screw threaded to said externally threaded end, a split ring enclosed within said knurled sleeve and having a tapered portion extending longitudinally and into engagement with a correspondingly tapered portion on the inner peripheral end portion of said main tube, said split ring having a plurality of longitudinally ex tending slots to provide a plurality of spring fingers and having a flanged end portion, said knurled sleeve having a radially inwardly extending end fiange portion adapted to engage a recessed portion of said split ring, whereby rotation of said threaded sleeve in one direction will clamp said main and extension tubes together through said split ring, and rotation in an opposite direction will unclamp said main and extension tubes, the extremity of said extension tube being internally threaded, and a threaded rod screw threaded to said extension tube extremity and having an integral knurled nut at the end thereof for providing Vernier adjustment in the length of the curtain rod.

2. A curtain rod as recited in claim 1 wherein said knurled nuts have conical end surfaces engageable with opposing wall surfaces between which the curtain rod is to be suspended, the angle of said conical surfaces being a relatively small acuate angle with respect to the opposing wall surfaces of the order of 3 to 25.

3. A tubular rod of widely adjustable length for suspending curtains or other articles comprising a main tube and an extension tube telescopically fitted within said main tube, said main tube having a threaded end portion at its telescoping end, an interiorally threaded sleeve screw threaded to said end portion, said sleeve having an integral radially inwardly extending flange, a split ring enclosed within said sleeve and having an inwardly recessed peripheral depression into which is fitted said radially inwardly extending flange and having an outer peripherally disposed flange portion adapted to abut against the outer end surface of said sleeve, said split ring having a, tapered portion extending longitudinally and into engagement with a correspondingly tapered portion on the inner peripheral end portion of said main tube, said split rin having a plurality of longitudinally extending slots to provide a plurality of spring fingers adapted. to grip the outer surface of said extension tube, whereby rotation of said sleeve will longitudinally move said split ring and whereby rotation of said sleeve in one direction will cause a clamping action of said split ring to lock said main and extension tubes together, and rotation in an opposite direction will unclamp said split ring from said extension tube and allow free longitudinal sliding movement between said tubes, together with a threaded rod screw threaded to the outer extremity of said extension tube and having an integral knurled nut at one end thereof with a slight projection centrally of its end surface, a second knurled nut closing the outer extremity of said main tube and including a slight projection centrally of its end surface, the inner telescoping end of said extension tube be- 6 ing radially expanded slightly to provide a closer fit inside said main tube.

4. A tubular rod of widely adjustable length for suspending curtains or other articles comprising a main tube and an extension tube telescopically fitted within said main tube, said main tube having a threaded end portion at its telescoping end, an interiorally threaded sleeve screw threaded to said end portion, said sleeve having an integral radially inwardly extending flange, a split ring enclosed within said sleeve and having an inwardly recessed peripheral depression into which is fitted said radially inwardly extending flange and having an outer peripherally disposed flange portion adapted to abut against the outer end surface of said sleeve, said split ring having a tapered portion extending longitudinally and into engagement with a correspondingly tapered portion on the inner peripheral end portion of said main tube, said split ring having a plurality of longitudinally extending slots to provide a plurality of spring fingers adapted to grip the outer surface of said extension tube, whereby rotation of said sleeve will longitudinallypmove said split ring and whereby rotation of said sleeve in one direction will cause a clamping action of said split ring to lock said main and extension tubes together, and rotation in an opposite direction will unclamp said split ring from said extension tube and allow free longitudinal sliding movement between said tubes, together with a threaded rod screw threaded to the outer extremity of said extension tube and having an integral knurled nut at one end thereof with a slight projection centrally of its end surface, a second knurled nut closing the outer extremity of said main tube and including a slight projection centrally of its end surface, the inner telescoping end of said extension tube being radially expanded slightly to provide a closer fit inside said main tube, said knurled nuts having conical end surfaces engageable with opposing wall surfaces between which the curtain rod is to be suspended, the angle of said conical surfaces being a relatively small acute angle with respect to the opposing wall surfaces of the order of 3 to 25.

WILLIAM E. FOWLER. JAMES A. THOMPSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 435,315 Moeller Aug. 26, 1890 632,064 Roberts Aug. 29, 1899 1,130,497 Dunham Mar. 2, 1915 2,019,753 Wittel Nov. 5, 1935 2,184,358 Moore Dec. 26, 1939 2,275,236 Shannon Mar. 3, 1942 2,384,710 Trippensee Sept. 11, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 253,833 Great Britain June 24, 1926 192,810 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1938 264,205 Switzerland Sept. 30, 1949 

